Come for the Peking Duck, stay for the spectacular service.
Yep, that about sums it up - my first visit to Quanjude was an absolute joy. A good friend had been speaking highly of it for some time, and the stars finally aligned and my wife and I and our friend were able to visit last night.
My wife and I were the first in the door as they opened at 1800; the staff was prepared, waiting to receive guests, and were very polite, welcoming and made us feel as if we were regulars already.
Within moments, the restaurant began filling up, and this was a Tuesday night! Several reasonably sized groups all appeared, taking up several of the large round tables. We got the sense that this could be a popular spot for dinner after finishing work in the city for the day.
We ordered a bottle of Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir (2011), something I have several of at home, so, I knew what to expect - delicious, and worked great with the duck by the way.
For our meal, we had a few entrees, the 3-piece items. Dim sums and dumplings. The staff was kind enough to split the order up so that each of us received a plate with one of each of the three things we ordered -- that was a fantastic example of their attention to detail that impressed me.
After that came the duck. We went with the half-duck, and for those of you who are a bit squeamish, you'll be happy to know that the staff carves and presents the duck beautifully -- no whole/half carcass dropped upon your table here!
The skin was crispy, the meat tender, and every bite flavourful.
We also shared a beef dish with honey pepper sauce/glazing - that too was very good and the combination filled us all up quite nicely.
I've commented before in several of my reviews on just how important I find good customer service, and I really must stress that Quanjude impressed the socks off me here. Extremely attentive, we were never wanting for more tea, for our wine to be topped up, for anything. They were present, but never pushy, friendly, smiling, and gracious.
I realise I've only given four stars here, but, as you may have read before, I don't feel it's fair to give 5 stars on Yelp for a first visit -- I need to see and experience consistency in order to know it wasn't a "fluke."
If you're in the mood for a beautifully appointed restaurant with delicious (and affordable!) Chinese faire, and you're up for Peking Duck, this is a MUST VISIT on your culinary calendar! read more